Letitia James sues Kenney Apartments owners over unsafe Newburgh conditions

Attorney General Letitia James filed suit in State Supreme Court in Orange County against Bourne & Kenney Redevelopment Company LLC and All County Property Management Inc., alleging more than 100 low-income families and seniors at Kenney Apartments, 55 Walsh Road in Newburgh, endured dangerous and decrepit living conditions. The complaint accuses owners and managers of leaving tenants with persistent lack of consistent heat and hot water, mold, rodent infestations, sewage leaks, exposed wiring and other hazards despite hundreds of complaints.

The AG’s filing seeks court orders requiring repairs and remediation, restitution for tenants, financial penalties, an independent court-appointed monitor paid for by the owners, and protections barring landlord retaliation and preventing judgments against tenants who withheld rent because of unsafe conditions. WAMC reports the attorney general asked the court to require the buildings be made safe and livable within 30 days.

Photos released by the attorney general’s office and described in coverage show unrepaired fire damage, a sewage-covered refrigerator and raw sewage overflow in a bathroom. Tenants and city officials say those images reflect living conditions many residents have faced for years. Spectrum quoted James saying, "No New Yorker should ever have to live in fear inside their own home," and WAMC recorded her office’s warning: "If you break the law, my office will hold you accountable."

Local elected officials helped push the case to the state level after repeated tenant complaints. Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey said, "Families and seniors at the Kenney Apartments were living in conditions no one should have to accept. These are working parents, older residents, and neighbors who did everything right and still found themselves ignored by their landlord. When that happens, leadership has a duty to step in and insist on accountability." Councilmember-at-large Robert McLymore described meeting with residents and contacting the attorney general after management ceased responding.

Tenants describe daily hardship that has translated into additional costs and safety risks. Spectrum quoted resident Gaylord Geter: "No stove and no hot water. That's how I was living at the time." Geter also conveyed neighbors’ fear of retaliation: "A lot of my neighbors are scared to speak up. They’re scared to speak out because of retaliation or what may happen to them. But I'm not. I'm not scared to speak out. I'm going to fight for what's right and I'm not going to stop because no one should live in these conditions, regardless of who you are or anything."

The lawsuit situates the Kenney complex within wider housing strains in Newburgh. WAMC reported a single-bedroom rent can reach $1,500 while average city income runs near $35,000 compared with higher county medians, intensifying financial pressure on tenants forced to run space heaters and ovens for warmth and pay steep electric bills.

Owners of the Kenney Apartments did not immediately respond to requests for comment. For Newburgh and Orange County residents, the case could bring swift court-ordered repairs, tenant restitution and a court monitor, or protracted litigation over who pays for fixes. The next steps will be set by the State Supreme Court docket and any immediate relief motions; residents and advocates say they will watch the process closely as potential remedies move from paper to repairs.